Photo: Eric Ryan Anderson
Lainey Wilson announced long-awaited details about her next chapter of music that will follow her Grammy Award-winning album, Bell Bottom Country. Wilson shared on Thursday morning (May 9) that upcoming full length album will arrive this summer.
The 14-track project, titled Whirlwind, aims to take “a daringly honest look into the singer’s life and journey around the globe,” reads a press release issued Thursday. The Jay Joyce-produced album “bends genres while remaining true to the singer’s Western roots,” and delves into a range of emotions and stories throughout the track listing.
“I am so excited to finally announce Whirlwind. This album has been a long time coming and I can’t wait for the world to have this body of work in their hands soon,” Wilson said in a statement. “This new chapter of music is the most cathartic and personal piece of art I’ve ever made. I hope this record brings some peace to your whirlwind and wraps its arms around you like it did for me.”
Earlier this year, Wilson kicked off her Whirlwind era with “Country's Cool Again,” a single written by The Heart Wranglers — including Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson — with Aslan Freeman, Wilson’s band leader. “Country’s Cool Again” is the first track to release from Wilson’s forthcoming record. She said when it released that “this past year has been a wild ride and truly shown me that Country music is really loving me back. This track is an ode to my upbringing and the story of my journey in this industry – where I have been and where I am now. I’m feeling all the love from Country music fans, and I can’t wait to hear everyone singing this song back to me while we’re out on the road this year.”
“Country’s Cool Again” inspired the name of Wilson’s 2024 headlining tour, which begins this month with a show in Nashville, Tennessee. Wilson is bringing Ian Munsick, Jackson Dean and Zach Top on tour this year. See the full list of tour dates below.
Whirlwind captures the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year’s life and career, particularly since releasing Bell Bottom Country — fitting with the name of Wilson’s soon-to-open bar in Downtown Nashville, Bell Bottoms Up — in October 2022. The 14-track collection included hit singles “Heart Like A Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,”plus “Hillbilly Hippie,” “Grease,” “Hold My Halo,” “Live Off” and more. Wilson expanded her Bell Bottom Country era with two additional tracks after making her acting debut on Yellowstone: “Smell Like Smoke” and “New Friends.” Before that, Wilson released Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ in 2021, the studio album that included breakout single “Things A Man Oughta Know.” She confirmed in an interview last summer with PEOPLE that she was working on her Bell Bottom Country follow-up, including “some love songs now,” thanks to her relationship with former NFL quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
“It's cool to be able to write your story and your truth and get vulnerable and have people appreciate that. …The truth is, I mean, preparing for something like that is really scary,” Wilson said during a previous interview with iHeartCountry. “You're like, 'well, I mean, all I can do is do what I do and hope that folks like it.' But it seems like I just keep on getting surprised, and people are finding little pieces in each song to connect to and relate to. And a lot of people have shared their stories with me on why they love each song and why it means something different to them. And that's what country music's about. It's about making people feel like they're not alone. And I've known from a very early age that I was supposed to be doing this, and it feels really nice to just be embraced.”
Wilson is part of the star-studded lineup of the upcoming 59th ACM Awards, where she’s also nominated in several major categories. Her nominations include Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist oft he Year, Song of the Year (“Heart Like A Truck”) and others. Other artists taking the stage include Post Malone, making his ACM Awards debut, Parker McCollum, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne; husband-and-wife duo Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton. Reba McEntire will perform “brand new music” as she returns to host the show for the 17th time, more than any other artist.
The show is set to return to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, leading up to the milestone 60th year in 2025. This year’s ACM Red Carpet will kick off at 7 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. CDT/4 p.m. PDT. The show is set for Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.
Whirlwind is set to make its debut on August 23.
5/31 – Nashville, TN (Ascend Amphitheater) *^
6/1 – Nashville, TN (Ascend Amphitheater) *^
6/14 – Camden, NJ (Freedom Mortgage Pavilion) *^
6/15 – Gilford, NH (Bank NH Pavilion) *^
6/20 – Saratoga Springs, NY (Broadview Stage at SPAC) *^
6/21 – Syracuse, NY (Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview) *^
6/26 – New York, NY (Radio City Music Hall) *^
6/28 – Bridgeport, CT (Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater) *^
6/29 – Bangor, ME (Maine Savings Amphitheater) *^
8/8 – Huntsville, AL (The Orion Amphitheater) *^
8/9 – Southaven, MS (BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove) *^
8/10 – Rogers, AR (Walmart AMP) *^
8/22 – Prescott Valley, AZ (Findlay Toyota Center) +^
8/23 – Chula Vista, CA (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre) +^
8/24 – Concord, CA (Toyota Pavilion at Concord) +^
9/1 – Los Angeles, CA (The Greek Theatre) +^
9/13 - Salt Lake City, UT (USANA Amphitheatre) +^
9/14 - Boise, ID (Ford Idaho Center) +^
9/15 - Missoula, MT (University of Montana - Adams Center) +^
9/19 – Fresno, CA (Save Mart Center) +% ON SALE NOV 3
9/20 – Lake Tahoe/Stateline, NV (Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys) + ^
9/26 – Vancouver, BC (Rogers Arena) + ^
9/27 – Auburn, WA (White River Amphitheatre) + ^ ON SALE DEC 1
9/28 – Ridgefield, WA (RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater) + ^ ON SALE NOV 17
10/10 – Lubbock, TX (United Supermarkets Arena) + ^
10/18 – Raleigh, NC (Red Hat Amphitheater) *^
10/19 – Alpharetta, GA (Ameris Bank Amphitheatre) *^
10/20 – Wilmington, NC (Live Oak Bank Pavilion) *^
10/24 – London, ON (Budweiser Gardens) *^
10/25 – Oshawa, ON (Tribute Communities Centre) *^
10/26 – Pittsburgh, PA (Petersen Events Center) *^
11/1 – Little Rock, AR (Simmons Bank Arena) + ^
11/2 – Evansville, IN (Ford Center) *^
11/3 – Charleston, WV (Charleston Coliseum) *^
11/7 – Oklahoma City, OK (Paycom Center) + ^
11/8 – Omaha, NE (CHI Health Center) + ^
11/9 – Sioux Falls, SD (Denny Sanford Premier Center) + ^ ON SALE NOV 17
11/15- Monroe, LA (Monroe Civic Center) *^
11/16 Monroe, LA (Monroe Civic Center) *^
* - Ian Munsick
^ - Zach Top
+ - Jackson Dean
% - To Be Announced